Exposed wire, Antenna?

[Fizzbang]

looks like a power line to me

Same here! Or a washing line or telephone wire. The drone then ran along the wire and the friction burned away where the wire was caught. The initial impact seems to have been the motor body which has a few scuffs. Just a guess.

 

[BCP DVM]

thats why in post #5 i mentioned maybe the arm folded back. see the pic i attached his damage lines up pefectly with the rear prop spinning and hitting.
but none of use will ever know for certain, all we can do is guess

That’s a good theory too but that prop would have to run on there for quite awhile. I’d expect that to make a racket wouldn’t you?

 

[TruGreen]

That’s a good theory too but that prop would have to run on there for quite awhile. I’d expect that to make a racket wouldn’t you?

kinda depends, he states "noticed after a flight" so how high up and how far out was he? itd be possible i'd think for a small bird or branch to hit the arm back just enough to make contact, then under a turn or braking the arm might snap back forward. again not having drone in hand, how worn is the arm pivot? does it have brand new tension, or is it worn and loose from lots of open/closed movements?

id still like to see a pic of that rear prop or have the OP comment if any damages to it.

also im not disagreeing to the pellet idea, but to me its to level a mark to make any sense on that. and id think the pellet would hit the body/battery and made a dent or some kind of marking too

 

[Fizzbang]

Blue Chord have you checked the flight path in detail. Is there a sudden diversion along a straight path? Are there any wires you were previously unaware of?

 

[Dawnvt]

It's not just the burn/abrasion marks, it's also cracked. Something happened there.

There are two wires (or two pair, I forget) that go down into that foot, one for the LED and one for an antenna. You can get a replacement foot from ebay for very little money (but a few weeks wait), but you will have to do some plastic surgery to get the LED light out/in without soldering. The antenna just slips in and out (no rocket surgery required).

Chris

IMO - Amazon has supplied me with parts for all kinds of electronics... including an MA2 rear arm that I broke. (each arm has 3 wires for the motor - and 2 for the rear led that have to be soldered to be replaced- I think the antenna in the front leg adds more wires)

 

[Mfpullen]

The direction of force is from the rear of the craft and at a shallow angle. Like others have said, it appears the craft was low or at a long distance. My guess is low altitude. Looking at the damage it appears to be done all at once.…not from mechanical rubbing. Probably not burn melting either. No striation marks and extrusion at the end of the damage probably point to a pellet or bullet in the .22 cal range. Very interesting. Wouldclove to hear from the pilot what the rubbing damage on the motor housing was from?